The Orioles went to drastic and creative measures to sign last year's first-round draft pick, pitcher Adam Loewen, and it could impact future first-round picks, including the No.1 pick of the Devil Rays in Tuesday's draft.
Loewen was minutes from going back into the draft Monday when the Orioles pitched the idea of putting Loewen on their 40-man major-league roster (and giving him a five-year deal worth $4-million).
Adding Loewen to the 40-man roster means the Orioles must option Loewen to his minor-league assignment after spring training each year. And because Loewen has a limit of four options, that practically guarantees he will be in the majors no later than the start of the 2007 season. Either that or Loewen will have to be exposed on waivers before he is sent down.
So it figures Loewen will be in the minors no more than 31/2 years.
"That's about the time we project - that three to four years - that he should be arriving," Orioles vice president of baseball operations Mike Flanagan said. "We valued him that highly. He isn't just a No.1 pick. He's a special kid."
It was the unique offer that swayed Loewen to sign instead of going back into the draft, where many expected he would be a top-three pick.
"That made me think they knew I was going to get there," Loewen told the Washington Post. "It made me feel they really wanted me, to take that aggressive step for me."
It will be interesting to see if future draft picks, including the Rays top pick, will seek similar clauses. And it is something that might work for the Rays. Instead of paying a truckload of upfront bonus money, the Rays could offer a major-league contract and spread the money over the life of the contract.
PICK(S) OF THE LITTER: The Brewers, who have the second pick in the draft, have settled on California high school outfielder Delmon Young and Southern University second baseman Rickie Weeks as their top prospects. The Rays are believed to be thinking the same.
San Diego has the fourth pick and likely will take a college player. General manager Kevin Towers said the top candidates are right-handers Tim Stauffer (Richmond) and Kyle Sleeth (Wake Forest), and either could be in the majors by 2005.
Towers also said Young and Weeks are the class of the draft. All this could mean Dunedin's Ryan Harvey might go to Detroit with the third pick.
MOVING ON: Tampa's Gary Sheffield has fired his agent, Scott Boras, and he isn't sure if he will return to the Braves next season. Sheffield said he had nothing personal against Boras, but he felt he no longer needed representation.
Sheffield's contract is up after the season, and Sheffield said the Braves have indicated they don't plan to negotiate during the season.
"I'm the type of player that if any team allows me to be a free agent, that tells me you don't want me; simple as that," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I don't care what the financial system is. It tells me you're going to either try to steal that player or wait him out. And I'm a different breed when it comes to that."
MOVING ON, PART II: Don't be surprised if the Braves unload catcher Javy Lopez before the All-Star break. In mid July, Lopez officially becomes a 10/5 guy (10 years in the majors and at least five with one team), meaning he can veto any trade. He's making $7-million and is not considered part of the team's future.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT: Anyone who knows Arizona's Luis Gonzalez, and plenty around here do considering he is from Tampa, were shocked to see him pop off in USA Today last week when he said, "We don't worry about the Dodgers."
Gonzalez said he did not mean it the way it came out.
"I've got everybody asking me about the Giants, and all of a sudden one (TV reporter) asks about the Dodgers," Gonzalez said. "We don't play them for a month, so I don't worry about those guys until we play them. That's basically what I meant.
"I have all the respect in the world for those guys, and I think they know what kind of guy I am. I've never been the type to provide bulletin-board material."
TREADING WATER: The Cubs played well with Sammy Sosa out of the lineup, going 10-7.
"You can get along without anybody for a period of time, but not for an extended period of time," manager Dusty Baker said. "Our guys who took Sammy's place did a great job, but everybody knows Sammy is the man around here."
Look for the Cubs to go after a third baseman in the coming weeks, but the market became smaller when Shea Hillenbrand was traded from Boston to Arizona on Thursday. The other option is getting a second baseman (Florida's Luis Castillo) and putting Mark Grudzielanek at third.
The Cubs Triple-A third baseman, David Kelton, has asked to be moved to his original position in the outfield, and the Cubs plan to grant his request.
LOWERING THE BOOM: After getting complaints, the league measured the mound at Wrigley Field and ordered it to be lowered about half an inch.
"The mounds are different all over the league," Baker said. "Some look like a molehill. Some look like Mount Everest."
Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood said it was no big deal, but in their first series after the mound was lowered, Cubs pitchers gave up 23 runs in three games to the lowly Pirates.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The surprising Expos have just started a 25-day road trip, which includes games at their home away from home in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They don't play in Montreal again until June 20.
"If we get through this trip and we're still in contention," catcher Michael Barrett said, "we should be there all the way."
By the way, it appears that the Expos won't move for at least another season. Robert Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, said he is too tied up with his NBA expansion team in Charlotte to buy the team and move it to Washington, D.C. He adds that his partner, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, won't pursue a team without him.
SHORT HOPS: Strange stat: Entering the weekend, the Mariners were 13-0 in day games and 20-18 at night. ... It appears White Sox manager Jerry Manuel's job is safe for now. ... The Tigers' horrible start will be more depressing for Tigers fans when they consider that only one player (infielder Dean Palmer) went on the disabled list in the first two months, and virtually every other player has been healthy for every game. ... Cleveland outfielder Ben Broussard fell just short of hitting for the cycle against the Tigers on Tuesday, and he missed because he failed to get the easiest hit: a single. The Indians haven't had a player hit for the cycle since Andre Thornton in 1978, the longest drought in the majors. ... Former Rays first baseman Fred McGriff, a career .268 hitter against left-handers, is batting only .179 against them this season. But how about this: He is about to pass Joe DiMaggio for 36th place on the all-time RBI list. ... The A's will play in Philadelphia next weekend for the first time since they moved from there after the 1954 season.
- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.
